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The Beatles – “The Beatles”
Everything The Beatles were is encapsulated in this double album. From R&B rock, to folk, to psychedelia and beyond. This is ‘The Beatles.’ (read more)
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Tegan and Sara (Retrospective)
I reminisce about one of the music acts most responsible for breaking me out of my high school "classic rock" phase. (read more)
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Jeff Lynne’s ELO – “Alone in the Universe” (2015)
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) were a band primarily popular in the ’70s due to their unique combination of elaborate, classical instrument arrangements over combinations of light pop rock and progressive mini-suites. There’s no band quite like Electric Light Orchestra in the perpetual boiling pot of ’70s music, a band both conservative and kitsch. They were… (read more)
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The Monkees – “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.”
The fourth album by The Monkees is among the greatest rock records of the ’60s, exceeding all expectations. (read more)
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Mercury Rev – “Yerself Is Steam” (1991)
Yerself Is Steam is a big pool of stereotypical early ’90s alternative rock noise to get lost in. If you’re a fan of the aesthetic as I am, it’ll make you feel just at home. This is best viewed as a collage though; focus on anything specific and you may realize there isn’t much in the way… (read more)
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Flamin’ Groovies – “Shake Some Action” (1976)
With Shake Some Action, Flamin’ Groovies attempt a ’60s pop rock throwback in particular vein of The Byrds. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then Shake Some Action must be the most flattering album of all time, as its insistence and success at sounding exactly like a pop rock album that could have… (read more)
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The Shaggs – “Philosophy of the World” (1969)
Haha, what the hell is with Helen Wiggin’s drumming? She never stops tapping away for even a second. It’s like someone sat her down at the kit and flipped a switch on her back to the “on” position and walked away. Obviously, no one in The Shaggs is known for their musicianship—quite the opposite, which… (read more)
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The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
A solid album by The Byrds, but I’d have to say this one is only for fans. There are a couple of great songs on here, but an equal or greater amount of material are merely decent or good. The Byrds started to write more of their own material on Turn! Turn! Turn!, but they… (read more)
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Love – “Da Capo” (1966)
The first half of Da Capo is pretty solid psychedelic pop rock despite Love’s ridiculously hammy vocalist. Listening to “¡Que Vida!” and hearing Arthur Lee’s accent could be a contest for how long one can go without laughing. He’s trying to come across as a sensitive, whimsical poet, but it’s so lamely contrived. Speaking of,… (read more)
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Blondie – “Plastic Letters”
A definite step up from Blondie‘s self-titled debut album, but not by much, and Plastic Letters is certainly no comparison to the huge leap the band would take forward next with Parallel Lines. The pieces are all there: Chris Stein’s surf rock licks, Deborah Harry’s showgirl vocals (very unusual when compared to the other husky-voiced… (read more)